Hello all,
Though late to the party here, I think it is important to add that “treatment-free” would not be a good choice if one is also using foundation rather than allowing the bees to draw their own brood comb. Naturally drawn comb cells are smaller and this is disruptive to the varroa life cycle.
All the details outlined by Michael Bush here: http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm
Thanks for the article @CampingLaChassagne
I’ll keep out of this one😉
Hello @Dee,
This is a fascinating article too, though I cannot deduce from the methods whether or not the brood comb was naturally drawn or if foundation was provided-which is an important variable.
I will see what I can find out from the researchers, and report back.
Feral bee populations have been hit hard yet they don’t use foundation.
For those of you interested, this just in concerning Dee’s Fernando de Noronha, Brazil study “Oldest Varroa tolerant honey bee population provides insight into the origins of the global decline of honey bees” and my question about hive set-up:
Hey Dee,
Loved the old days without those little Suckers ! Now I’m back into Beekeeping … my goal is keeping my girls alive … like you I really don’t have the years to keep losing colonies. My wallet isn’t that healthy. I do my part to mechanicly rid a few mites off my bees but I’ve got neighbors like you that aren’t doing much with their bees Than just “Having Them” ! Even if I went to the extra expense of hybrid bees/resistant species … they’d be watered down quickly.
Cheers.
Gerald
Yes Gerald I’m seeing the same.
Two colonies treated a month ago need another blast!
Dee,
Thankz for the note… i was sure I’d not screwed up. Samething last season 2026 as well. We need a good cold snap to rid the Yelliw Jackets attacks too here. Been extremely persistent n viscous this late summer into autumn now. Traps worked well during summer but kind of worthless currently. The hens n yellow jackets do seem to keep the dead bees on the ground picked up.
Have a great rest of your Sunday n weekend,
Gerald (watching the rain 
️ fall here !
Mine too. I will be getting the vaporizer out this week to do another 3 treatments.
I think this is a mistake that a lot of new beekeepers make. They think that one course of treatment is fine for the rest of the season. Meanwhile the mites have other plans. If don’t monitor, you never know and suddenly the colony dies for no apparent reason.
OAV is great for an accelerated mite drop too.
80% of the mites are in the brood. 20% are phoretic. Oxalic kills 97% of the phoretic mites.
Vape, count the drop over 24hours (no more) and multiply by five. This gives you the total mites in the hive. Varroa double every three to four weeks. Knowing how many are in there enables you to plan when to treat.
Have a look here at Wally Shaw’s article pages 16 and 17 in particular
Thanks for sharing this issue of Welsh Beekeeping Dee. The article you recommended brings up relevant questions, and I enjoyed reading David Heaf’s article (p.30-33) too. The letter to the editor on p. 26 was also full of information.
Lots of food for thought on a rainy Seattle Sunday. 
I thought you might 
